Gas dissipating means



Feb. 25, 1941. E. H. GILL 2,233,125

GAS DISSIPATING MEANS Filed Feb. 2, 1938 INVENTOR Edward H. GillATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE GAS DISSIPATING S Application February 2, 1938, Serial No. 188,288

3 Claims.

My invention relates to gas dissipating means, and more particularly togas dissipating venting means for apparatus for storing liquefied gases.

In the storage of certain petroleum gases, such as butane and propane,which are adapted to be liquefied under pressure, and stored in astorage tank, and adapted to vaporize or turn into a gas at atemperature that is relatively low, a housing commonly called a hood islocated on the upper side of the tank for storing the liquefied gas,which housing or hood contains various apparatus, such as a pressuregauge, safety valve, and other devices. Means is pro-vided for relievingthe pressure in such a tank, should it reach a value above apredetermined maximum, by means of the safety valve, and to conduct thevapor or gas discharged from the safety valve outside the housing on topof the tank. Also, in order to avoid any possibility of collection ofany vapors or gases that might be of an explosive nature, venting meansis provided for the housing to conduct any such explosive gases fromsaid housing.

My invention particularly relates to means for venting said housing andfor conducting vapors or gases dischargedby the safety valve from saidhousing, and for dissipating such gases after the same are conductedfrom the safety valve or from the housing.

It a particular purpose of my invention toprovide means associated withthe safety valve and with the venting means for the housing, whereby gasor vapor passing through the safety valve and from the venting meanswill be dissipated and scattered so that no pockets will exist near thehousing that might cause fire or explosion. This is accomplished byproviding a domelike cover over the outlet from the safety valve, whichis provided with a plurality of openings, or slits, therein, throughwhich the gas is adapted to escape in such a manner that any current ofair whatsoever striking the same will cause the combustible gas: thusescaping to be spread out and dissipated, so that it will not be ofsufiicient quantity in any part of the atmosphere adjacent the housingandtheoutlet from the safety 'valve to ignite under any circumstances.This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No.151,887, filed July 3, 1937.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as thedescription of the drawing proceeds. I desire to have it understood,however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular detailsshown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in vertical section and partly inelevation of a liquefied gas tank and housing mounted thereon, showingmy improved gas dissipating means applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in vertical section and partly inelevation, on an enlarged scale, of the safety valve and gas dissipatingmeans for the gases escaping from the safety valve.

Fig. 3 is a similar View of a modification.

Fig. 4. is a top plan View of the gas dissipating means with thedome-like cover or bell cap removed therefrom.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2 of a further modification. 15

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View of a further modification, and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the supporting means shown in Fig. 6 forthe bell cap or dome-like cover member, with the cover member or capremoved.

Referring in detail to the drawing, a fragmentary portion of the tankit? is shown, which has a vapor space II in the upper portion thereof. Ahousing or hood 12 having a removable cover member 13 is provided on thetop of the tank It]. The tank and the main portion of the housing orhood I 2 are mounted below the level of the ground, and, preferably, afilling of loose material, such as crushed rock, indicated at M, isplaced around the top of the tank and around the lower part of the hoodportion or housing. Earth I5 is provided around the upper portion of thehood up to within a short distance of the depending flange it on thecover member l3. Within the housing i2 certain apparatus is provided,which must be located in such a manner as to be accessible at certaintimes tothe operator of the gas dispensing means associated with thetank It. Ahigh pressure gas line H and areturn line it extends into thehousing i2 from the tank and out through a side wall thereof, said lineH having an upward extension it, to which a T 2i] is connected, said Thaving a closure 2! provided on the upper end thereof, through which thecontents of the tank may be gauged, and havingan elbow 22 extendingtherefrom, to which a safety valve 23 is connected, said safety valvehaving a tubular discharge member 2 1 extending upwardly therefrom.

Other apparatus may also be provided within the housing i2, such as apressure gauge 25 on the pipe 26, an electrical controlling switch 2?and an electrical conduit 28 extending into the tank to operate suitableelectrical heating means,

and a, fill pipe 29, which is provided with a check valve 39 and afiller valve 3|, and suitable coupling means 32 for connecting anotherconduit thereto. The pipe 26 is provided with a combined coupling andvapor valve 33 of any desired construction. Any other desired apparatusmay be provided within the housing l2 and the particular apparatus shownneed not be provided exactly as shown nor need all of the same beprovided in such a housing, the important thing being that numerous pipeconnections from the tank extend into the housing, and due to this factthere is a possibility that some leakage of the liquefied gas in avaporized state may enter the housing unintentionally. It is accordinglydesirable to provide means for venting thehousing.

The cover member I3 is provided with a tubular member 34, extendingupwardly therefrom and welded thereto, the same constituting a tubularconduit communicating with the interior of I the housing I2 through anopening 35 in the top of the cover member l3. The tubular member 24,forming the discharge conduit for the safety valve, extends upwardly inthe tubular conduit 34 to near the top end thereof. The conduit 34 isopen at its upper end 36 and has extending upwardly therefrom, in theforms of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 5, a reduced bracket portion31, which has an angular end portion 38 at the upper end thereof, whichunderlies the inner face of the cup-like or domelike member 39, as shownin Fig. 2. Said domelike or cup-like member 39 is provided with anopening 40 and a weld 4| is made through the opening 48, so as tofixedly secure the domelike cover member or cap member 39 to the uppertransverse portion 38 of the bracket 31.

Said dome-like or bell cap member 39 is provided with means fordissipating any combustible vapors that may escape from the outlet 24 ofthe safety valve 23, or through the venting tube 34 of the housing 12.This is accomplished by providing a large number of slots or slits 42 inthe bottom peripheral edge of the dome-like or bell cap member 39,through which the combustible vapor is adapted to escape. It will beobvious that this vapor will be scattered by this means, so that ifthere is any movement of air whatsoever, the vapors will be carried awayin small amounts in the moving air passing into the atmosphere in such amanner that no pockets will collect in the air, that could possibly beignited. The slits or slots 42 are of such an extent that their upperends 43 are substantially on the same level as the top end of thetubular member 24, and the top end of the tubular member 34. Said slots,are, preferably, large in number and narrow, so as to provide manynarrow openings for the discharge of the combustible vapors. Thecombined cross-sectional area of all of the slots or slits must be atleast equal to the cross-sectional area of the tubular member 34extending from the housing I2. Air passing through these slits or slots42 across the top 36 of the tubular member 34 will cause a siphoningaction to be set up, drawing air and vapors up through the tubularmember 34 from the housing l2. Discharge of vapor through the tubularupper end portion 24 of the safety valve would set up a similarsiphoning action in the tubular member 34, which would tend to draw anymixture of air and vapors, existing in the housing [2, out of the same.

Instead of welding the bell cap or hood 39 to the tubular member 34,said bell cap 39 can be detachably mounted thereon, as shown in Fig. 3.In this form of the invention the tubular mem ber 34 is provided with aflange or fin 44, extending upwardly therefrom, forming an upstandingbracket welded to the top end 36 of the tubular member 34' and having alaterally extending ear 45 thereon, which is provided with ascrew-threaded opening 46, with which the screw-threaded portion 4'! ofthe headed screwthreaded member 48 engages, the head 49 of said headedscrew-threaded member being seated in the opening 40 in the cap or covermember 39.

While the slits or slots 42 are preferred, the bell cap or hook-likemember may be provided with a plurality of closely spaced smallopenings, such as shown on the bell cap or dome-like member 39', whichis shown in Fig. 5 as having a large number of openings 50 therein, thatare arranged in a plurality of rows, the holes in the various rows beingstaggered and the top edges of the uppermost row of holes 59 lyingsubstantially in the same plane as the top edge of the tubular member34. In all the forms of the invention the tubular member 34 or 34' iswelded in gas-tight relation to the top l3, as indicated at 5|.

Instead of providing a reduced upward extension 31 on the tubular member34, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, a triangular bracket member 52 may bewelded on the top end 36 of the tubular member 34", as shown in Figs. 6and 7, said member 52 being merely a triangular piece of heavy gaugesheet metal, which has the apex 53 thereof extending into the opening 48in the bell cap or dome-like member 39, and which is welded in saidopening 40 by means of the weld 4|.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a tank for liquefied gas and a housing over saidtank, of a safety valve for said tank, means for venting said housingcomprising a conduit extending upwardly from and communicating with thespace within said housing, and a dome-like member mounted on saidconduit having its bottom edge spaced from said housing and saidconduit, said conduit extending into and being open to the interior ofsaid dome-like member and the peripheral portion of said dome-likemember having a plurality of closely spaced restricted openings therein,

said safety valve having discharge means extending into said conduit anddischarging into the same near its opening into said dome-like member.

2. The combination with a tank and a housing over said tank and a safetyvalve for said tank in said housing, of means for venting said housingcomprising a conduit extending upwardly from and communicating with thespace within said housing, a dome-like member mounted on said conduithaving its bottom edge spaced from said housing and said conduit, and adischarge connection from said safety valve extending into and openinginto said conduit within said domelike member, said conduit being opento the interior of said dome-like member and the peripheral portion ofsaid dome-like member having a plurality of restricted passagestherethrough, providing a perforate wall portion extending fromsubstantially the level of the top of said conduit to the bottom edge ofsaid dome-like member. I

3. The combination with a tank anda housing over said tank and a safetyvalve for said tank in said housing, of means for venting said housingcomprising a conduit extending upwardly from and communicating with thespace within said housing, a dome-like member mounted on saidconduit,having a concavo-convex top Wall and a depending peripheral wall thebottom edge of which is Widely spaced from said housing and saidconduit, said conduit extending a substantial distance into saiddome-like member, and a discharge connection from said safety valveextending into and opening into said conduit Within said dome-likemember adjacent the upper end of said conduit, said conduit being opento the interior of said dome-like member, the bottom of said dome-likemember being unrestrictedly open to the atmosphere, and the dependingperipheral wall portion of said domelike member having a plurality ofclosely spaced restricted passages therethrough to provide a perforatedome portion extending substantially to the level of the upper end ofsaid conduit.

